As the first new school year since Newtown, Conn. school shootings approaches, officials across Monmouth County are gearing up their security measures.

While schools have made security changes for the upcoming year — including more cameras, increased patrol around the campuses, and stricter guidelines for visitors — many officials said students and parents might not notice the changes.

Middletown police Lt. Stephen Dollinger said that in the township’s schools there have been infrastructural changes at some of the schools to increase security, but students won’t notice anything different.

“We continually meet with the superintendent of schools and the operational director of the schools to improve the security and in all of the schools in our district,” Dollinger said, who declined to elaborate for security reasons.

Although the approach to elementary through high school students may differ, Dollinger said, the overall plan covers all ages and doesn’t differentiate how the security is increased in the buildings.

Dollinger said parents should also be monitoring their children’s Facebook and social media pages, noticing any change in behavior that would indicate something isn’t right.

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden talks about school security outside a county vocational school.Ashley Peskoe/NJ.com

“Ordinarily from lessons that we’ve learned throughout the country a lot of times any type of school violence that was planned in many cases, the perpetrators have indicated it to that on social media prior to the event,” Dollinger said.

Middletown Superintendent William George III said the police and school district have a “very good” working relationship.

Officials meet on a regular basis, George said, and in wake of the school shooting last year, a safe schools committee was set up to get input from the entire community. A new hire, the supervisor of security, also came out of that committee.

While Marlboro school district Superintendent Eric Hibbs declined to comment through his secretary, township Mayor Jonathan Hornik said there will continue to be armed security in the schools. Hornik said that other security measures have been changed that students may see on the first day, but he did not elaborate for security reasons.

“We’re doing everything we can that it remains the high quality, safe school system that we’ve had for years,” Hornik said.

West Long Branch Chief Lawrence Mihlon said that in his township, officers go through exercises and trainings so they are familiar with the layout of each school. Although it is not new, Mihlon said officers randomly walk through the schools during their regular patrol to remain familiar with the school and to have people in the school more familiar with officers.

Shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre, Mihlon, who was acting chief at the time, went to the police station to tell his officers to head toward the school, but when he got there, everyone was already at the schools.

“I have never been so happy to walk into a police station and see nobody there,” Mihlon said. “I’ll never forget that feeling, how proud I was, that I work in a police department that responded like that, even without being told.”

Monmouth University police Chief William McElrath said even at the college level, officials are prepared for an active shooter situation. In addition to live exercises with a variety of agencies and roundtable discussions, McElrath said a seminar is offered to educate the campus community on what they should do if they are caught in an active shooter situation.

Although not new, McElrath said that after the Newtown shootings, it seemed like people were much more interested in the session.

“We know what we’re going to do from a police department’s perspective what we try and let the campus community know is what to expect of us if they are caught up in an active shooter situation,” McElrath said. “It’s our responsibility to be as prepared as we can.”

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said there are plans in place county wide to keep children safe, as well as roundtable discussions with superintendents to talk about safety initiatives, such as the installation of panic buttons in a dozen schools that instantly alert officers in the field if there is an emergency.

Those buttons are paid for through a grant program and are not yet in all schools, however Golden would not identify which schools had the buttons, citing security reasons.

“We’ve installed additional equipment in some of the schools around the county to enhance security,” Golden said.